BY AMY ROSE HARTE

THE Garda Press Office has stringently denied that the fall-out from the protracted Morris Tribunal saga has led to a considerable drop in the age profile of Garda members in Donegal.

Sixty percent of Gardai now stationed in Letterkenny have completed less than five years service in the force. The low age profile is believed to be due to a spate of early retirements which were sought by Donegal members in light of the Tribunal's revelations.

A spokesperson for the Press Office confirmed that eight members in Donegal were granted retirement from the force last year, but denied it had any real impact on the age profile of current members. He attributed it to an accelerated recruitment drive around the country which began in March 2006.

However, Donegal North East Deputy Joe Hugh said there was a 'burn-out' issue among older Gardai that needed to be addressed.

"It raises the question in terms of whether or not there's enough incentive for to stay within the Garda force and not enough lateral career progression in terms of moving into different areas," he told the Donegal News.

"What is happening now is that a lot of people aren't going into the Gardai raw out of secondary school anymore but are going in with university degrees and bringing skills with them into the force. Maybe we're at the early stage of a new, more qualified Garda in terms of experience and skills, so I would see this as a positive thing. At the same time there's also a need for young Gardai who are coming into the force to learn from the ways of the old Gardai who were known for interacting well with the community, sitting drinking cups of tea with them and getting to know them," Deputy McHugh said.

Councillor Damien Blake, who chairs the local Joint Policing Committee, said the drop in the age profile of Gardai in Letterkenny was advantageous as it meant more Gardai would be willing to go out on the beat.

"For a long time there were complaints that the Gardai in Letterkenny would have trouble chasing people or being out late at night, so we have to welcome the fact that we have a young age profile and some active Gardai coming through the system. We only have to look at the town and see that most Gardai on the beat nowadays can interact well with young people and know what's going on. There will be those who see this as a negative thing, but there will always be people willing to criticise without putting forward any solutions," Cllr Blake said.

Fore more see the Donegal News online pdf editions